Beginning with a Safe Residence
by Furuba Foreva
Summary: Haru and Rin are faced with the challenges of raising twins at a very unprepared stage in their lives. How will they cope as their children grow into rebellious teenagers with numerous problems down the road? ON HIATUS.


_****_**A/N: Hey! I honestly don't know what drove me to publish this so soon; I was going to wait until I was at least farther into my story _Bound by a Melody_, but it was just sitting around in my documents that I felt I had to put it up on the site. This is kind of a prologue, or maybe a "teaser trailer" if you will, because I do want to focus more on my first story. So don't expect updates very soon.**

**And don't worry, this isn't some teen pregnancy thing. I haven't exactly decided on Haru and Rin's exact ages yet, but they are probably in their early, early twenties, and in my fanfic timeline, this story should be either around the end of BBAM or a few weeks/months after it.**

**Also, if you have any suggestions as to what jobs Haru and Rin should have (as I am at a complete loss, and I KNOW that they need some way of sustaining their family, since I don't think their Sohma allowance would be that much after the breaking of the curse) please feel free to tell me in a review!**

**So, here we go!**

_**Beginning with a Safe Residence**_

**Chapter One**

"I guess we should have thought about the possibility of us getting two."

Hatsuharu Sohma was seated in a chair beside his lover Isuzu Sohma's hospital bed, cradling their newborn daughter while Rin was holding their son. The atmosphere of the room swelled with pride and adoration as they looked fondly down at the two new lives they'd brought into the world.

"Have you decided on names for them yet?" Haru asked, lightly tugging on his baby girl's fingers. Her gray eyes squinted up at his similar but browner ones, making him smile as he realized the first resemblance of him that he could see in his child. "I was thinking of Hajime for the boy."

"Beginning?" Rin replied drowsily. She was very exhausted after the birth of the two infants, especially after a long hard labour. She had refused to scream out in her frustration as she hadn't wanted Haru to worry too much about her, even though it had been excruciatingly painful. Rin had settled for grunting through gritted teeth coupled with sharp remarks at the doctor who was helping her through the birthing process. Now she was just struggling to stay awake so that she could properly hold her son.

"It's fitting, isn't it?" Haru queried. "He's part of our new beginning after the curse has been lifted."

"Not so loud," Rin hissed at him. "Just because it's over doesn't mean we can just casually throw it out to the public."

"Rin, my dear, there's no one here but us. You can be so paranoid sometimes." Haru smiled affectionately as Rin glared. But it seemed that she had agreed on the name, although she didn't say it directly. They were about to slip into silence when Haru realized that they also had to name their daughter.

"Did you have anything in mind for our little girl?"

Rin bit her lip, her eyes slowly shifting to the pink bundle in the hands of her beloved. Those gray eyes...they reminded her so much of the ones she'd fallen in love with over the years. That kind gaze, patient and caring. She so wanted her daughter to have these traits when she grew up. However, she also wanted something else.

"Azumi," she said quietly. "I want to name her Azumi." Haru understood immediately. 'Azumi' meant 'safe residence'. Rin often discussed with him her worries about their children feeling neglected, not by Haru – definitely not by Haru – but by herself. He, of course, had always insisted that she would be a wonderful mother. She would be strict at times and would probably get upset often, but he knew that she would do it with good intentions. He'd told her that she would never stoop to the levels of her own parents, that she would never abandon her children so coldly. He had insisted that beneath her rough surface was a kind heart.

Haru was about to make a comment now, but Rin cut him off.

"I know that you think I'll be a good mother and all, but that's not why I chose the name. I hope that with this name she will feel more secure. I don't...want my daughter to have the same experiences that I had. I want her to be loved. I want her to feel _safe_." Haru listened intently to what Rin had to say, and when she finished he nodded in understanding.

"I want Azumi to be safe too," he said. He and Rin shared a smile. Suddenly, Rin's eyes widened in awe.

"Haru, look." She held Hajime out to him, brushing her fingers over the bottom of his hairline. Sure enough, tiny white hair follicles were grown out at the roots, while the top part of his head remained black. Haru then looked down at Azumi. On the sides of her head, the same white roots were there as well, though they looked like streaks more than roots. It seemed that the curse had somewhat affected Haru's genes, and although the white hair in his children wasn't as dominant as his (the gene must have turned out weak, seeing as it was a sort of mutation), it was still clearly there. Haru looked proud with a troubled mixture.

"I like that Hajime and Azumi have something that I passed onto them... I never really minded my hair colour. And when the other kids made fun of me, I would chase them off or simply ignore them. But our kids...they might not be the same as me. They might be more sensitive, and so they shouldn't have to hold the same burden as I did. They shouldn't be teased..." His voice turned fierce with protectiveness; his paternal instincts clearly sinking in. Rin weakly reached out a hand to squeeze his in comfort.

"With a father like you, the other children wouldn't dare mock them. Maybe at first, but you'd probably go black and teach them a lesson their innocent minds should never have to learn. Also, I think it's really cute – their hair, I mean." She smiled at him, proud to see his lips spreading into a grin because of what she'd said. Since she couldn't lean over very well, she reached for his chin and slowly pulled it towards her, briefly pressing her lips up against his. He was about to pull her back in for more, but she put a finger to his mouth. "Not in front of the kids."

"But they'll never remember any of it," Haru protested.

"Probably not, but we need to practice for the future, don't we?" Rin smirked, leaving Haru to settle for a kiss on her forehead.

"You were really strong today," he said, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. Her hair had grown a few inches past her shoulders, although she told him recently that she wouldn't grow it as long as it was before. She decided that her long hair was more of a thing of the past, somewhat coinciding with the animal she'd been possessed by – that urge to let her hair free. She realized now that it was also a bit ridiculous to have it that long, plus it was bothersome to take the time to maintain it, even though it was straight and rarely knotted. She would keep it at a certain length because Haru adored it, but no longer than that.

Rin smiled tiredly, gazing down at her son. Haru followed her gaze.

"He has your eyes," he remarked.

"She has yours," Rin replied, nodding her head towards Azumi.

"I know." Haru grinned and Rin laughed. Haru's heart warmed at the sound of her laugh. It was so pure, so genuine. There was no shadow around the edges anymore; she was laughing because she was truly happy. And if she was happy, Haru was more than happy.

For the rest of the night, the blissful silence that had followed never left the room. Haru's head had somehow found its place on the edge of Rin's bed, nestled into her side. Azumi slept by his chin, and even in sleep Rin continued to hold Hajime in her arms. The young family looked so perfectly serene to the nurse that stopped by their room later on to turn out the lights. She gave them a smile of best wishes as she flipped the switch before heading back down the hall.

**A/N: Although this is a sorta "teaser trailer" as I mentioned above, please review, still, so that I know that there will be _someone_ looking forward to this. And if you read my other story and are interested in it, review it as well if you haven't already. :3**

**(P.S. If you've noticed, the title is a play on the names of Haru and Rin's children.)**


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